Stilts for burning earthenware



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP PoInToN, 0E TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

STILTS FOR. BURNING EARTHENWARE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,356, dated July 28, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP PoINToN, of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stilts for Supporting- Earthenware while It is Being Burned and I do hereby declare that the same are described and represented in the following specification and drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to -make and use my improvements, I will proceed to describe their construction and the mode of using them, referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of the iigures.

The nature of my invention and improvement in stilts for supporting earthenware while it is being burned consists in making the stilt with a point or lower end to fit a hole or cavity in a base, stand, or sagger, or the hole or cavity in the next stilt below, with a hole or cavity in the upper end to receive the lower end of the next stilt above, and one or more spurs at the side to support the ware placed on the stilts.

Prior to my invention earthenware was supported by spurs and stilts, which I will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurelrepresents a plan and elevation of a spur or tripod made of clay or clay and silex or other suitable material, in the form shown in the drawings. Three of these spurs are placed between each two articles burnt. Fig. 2 represents a plan and elevation of a stilt or tripod with three points down and three points up. One of these is placed between each two articles burnt, to keep them a proper distance apart in the sagger.

My improved stilt is represented in plan and elevation in Fig. 3.

A is the upper end, B the lower end, and C C are points or spurs on the sides near the upper end to support thc dishes or ware burned.

The form shown in the drawing, I consider the best and most convenient, as they can be readily made in a mold with vtwo parts sepa raring on the line D D.

I do not, however, limit my invention to that particular form, as the stilt may be made four or six square, instead of round, and varied in form to suit any peculiar circumstances in which itis to be used.

The points C C of three of these stilts will support one dish or plate or other piece of ware to be burnt, and the first or bottom tier of stilts may have their lower ends set in holes prepared for them in the bottom of the sagger, and the lower ends of the second tier of stilts may be set in the holes H in the tops of the rst tier. After the plate or dish has been put on, and the third tier of stilts into the tops of the second, and so on, first setting a tier of stilts, then lay on a dish,then another tier of stilts and another dish until the stagger is lled.

If there are no holes in the bottom of the stagger for the first tier of stilts, I make a triangular base-plate-such as is shown in plan and elevation in Fig. 4-With three holes in it for the lower end of the rst tier of stilts, or instead of the base-plate, if the dishes are large I make three stands, one of which is represented in Fig. 5 in plan and elevation, and I make these stands with three or more wings or projections, E E, to support the first dish, with a hole, F, in the upper end, for the lower end of the first stilt. These stands may be set in any position on the bottom of the sagger to suit the article to be supported.

As the wings of the stands and the points on the stilts are liable to be broken or rendered unfit for use the rst time they are used, I make three or more wings on the stands and two or more points on the stilt, so that they may be used several times.

When the spurs or stilts first described are used, they leave marks on both sides of the plate or dish, and oftentimes break the glazing when the ware absorbs grease and impairs its appearance.

My improved stilt only leaves a mark on one side of the ware and that on the under side in such a position that the glazing does not accumalate around the stilt-point. Hence the Ware is far more perfect and much labor is saved in I next stilt below, and with a hole or cavity in the upper end to receive the next stilt above, and with one 0r more spurs at the side to support the ware when burned.

2. In combination with the above-described stilt, the base-plate and stands.

PHILIP POINTON.

Witnesses:

J. DENNIS, Jr., D. ROWLAND. 

